Electrical component terminal



Jan. 2, 1962 A. J. RUSCITO ELECTRICAL COMPONENT TERMINAL Filed Nov. 3, 1959 FIG.3

FIG.1

INVENTOR -ANTHONY J. RusclTo H IS ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,015,687 1 ELECTRICAL COMPONENT TERMINAL Anthony J. Ruscito, Williamstown, Mass., assignor to Sprague Electric Company, North Adams, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Filed Nov. 3, 1959. Ser. No. 850,728 2 Claims. (Cl. 174-153) This invention relates to a plural terminal connection to an electrical component and more particularly to juxtaposed plural external terminals for a can-type electrical component.

Electrical components often require more than one electrical connection to the elements of the component. These connections are frequently arranged in a close relationship as dictated by convenience or design needs. The terminal connections are in turn connected to the elements of the components by tabs which are adjacent to each other.

A terminal for an electrical component is preferably of easy access and connection to provide attachment to elements of the component while also having good electrical insulation to insure proper operability. Where the component is a can-type with an element contained within a conductive container such as a metal can, the insulation of the terminal from the container metal is also an important aspect of the terminal. The forces exerted on a terminal by the attachment and detachment of leads often results in moving the stationary terminals and loosening of the terminals. The internal tabs are also moved. It is particularly desirable that the terminals be so fixed with relation to each other and to the metal container that use will not result in permanent injury to the terminal or a displacement of the leads or tabs resulting in shorting of the component or a breakdown of the electrical insulation of the terminals.

It is an object of this invention to provide a pair of terminals for an electrical component fixed against rotation.

It is another object of this invention to provide a cantype electrical component with a terminal insulation which permits access to the can surfaces under the terminal insulation.

It is still another object of this invention to provide in a can-type component a rigid terminal construction receptive to quick-connect connections.

These and other objects will become more apparent upon consideration of the following drawings when taken together with the description.

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of an electrical component having a terminal construction according to this invention;

FIGURE 2 is a vertical section of the terminal structure and the electrical component structure taken along the lines 22 of FIGURE 1 in the direction of the arrows;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged vertical section of one terminal of the preferred embodiment shown in FIGURES 1 and 2; and

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of a portion of the terminal construction.

In general, this invention provides electrical component terminals which are fixed with relation to each other and a component by a common insulating member. The terminals are non-rotatably resiliently mounted for a quick connection. The terminals are countersunk in the common member so as to obtain the relative fixation of the parts.

Referring to FIGURE 1, a wall portion, such as a cover for a can-type electrical component is shown in the top plan view to carry a right terminal 11 and aleft terminal 12 in a common insulator 13. The cover 10 is provided with a rim 14. The insulator 13 is centrally located on the cover 10 and has a plane upper surface 15 into which are perfectly cylindrical shape.

3,015,587 Patented Jan. 2, 1962 "ice formed a pair of recesses 16 for the respective terminals 11 and 12.

The connections from the terminals 11 and 12 on the exterior of the capacitor unit to the internal elements are made through a passageway for each terminal through the insulator 13 and the cover 10. The connections are illustrated in FIGURE 2. As shown by the vertical section of FIGURE 2, the insulator 13 has a passage 17 extending downward from each of the recesses 16 through the bottom of the insulator 13. In correlation the cover 10 has a pair of apertures 18 defined by flanges 19 formed in the cover 10. The apertures 18 are coaxial with and coincide with the passages 17. A rubber bushing 26 is positioned in each mated passage 17 and aperture 18 and protrudes into the capacitonunit interior. A connecting assembly 21 for each of the respective'terminals 11 and 12 is made up of the respective terminals 11 and 12 together with a rivet 22 and a tab 23. Each bushing 26 has a central hole 24 engaging its respective rivet 22 which extends through the bushing 21 and connects its respective terminal 11 or 12 to the respective tab 23.

FIGURE 3 shows in greater detail the relationship between the terminals and their respective tabs through their respective rivets. The right terminal 11 is shown in the enlarged vertical section as positioned in its recess 16 and attached to its rivet 22. The rivet 22 in turn has a head 25 which clasps the tab 23. The hole 24 is made small enough so that the rivet head 25 engages the tab 23 against a paper spacer 26, between the tab 23 and the bushing 20 and thus engaging the tab 23 clamps in position upon being welded to the terminal 11. In bringing the assembly 21 of FIGURE 3 together the rivet 22 is placed against the bushing 20 until it is brought into contact with and welded to the terminal 11. Thi joins the parts together with the bushing 20* being compressed between the terminal 11 and the head 25, which presses against the tab 23 and the paper spacer 26. The rubber bushing 20 extends into the passage 17in the insulator 13. The passage 17 extends from the fioor of the recess 16 through the bottom.

A bulge in bushing 20 is shown at A in FIGURE 3 resulting from compression as flange 19 presses into bushing 20 under the pressure from head 25. The fit of bushing 20 in aperture 18 is one of secured resiliency providing a resilient hermetic seal. However, by itself, this bushing provides only minimum mechanical strength and resistance to axial and rotational displacement. Insulator 13 which has a fiat bottom 27 facing a flat surface 28 of cover it is positioned above flange 19. The insulator 13 is spaced away from surface 28 so that a clearance B is provided underneath insulator 13.

' It will be seen that the rivet 22 is not of sufficient length to extend through bushing 20 without compression of the bushing. The shank .of the rivet is too short, particularly since it must accommodate the thickness of tab 23 and spacer 26. In the assembly operation the terminal 11 and the tab 23 are drawn to each other by a compression of the bushing 20 which becomes compacted or shortened as a result of this compression to accommodate the shortness of the shank of the rivet 22. The bulge at A indicates that the bushing 20 is under compression and that the parts are held together in a secure grip provided by the resilience of bushing 20 and under the elastic urging of the material, such as rubber, which tends to force the bushing '20 back to its normal The insulator 13 is connected to the capacitor-unit through terminals 11 and 12,

and thus rides on the resiliency of the respective bush- 13. Under the grip provided by rivet 22 the assembly 21 is held together to provide a leak-proof seal and electrical connection to tab 23.

Referring to FIGURE 4, the terminal construction in connection with terminal 12 is shown in perspective and illustrates a feature which is present in both terminal 12 and terminal 11. The recess 16 is shown with a countersink 29 in its floor 31 The terminal 12 has a base plate 31 of an angular shape with sides that engage surfaces of the countersink 29. The base plate 31 is in tight fit in the countersink 29 with no play provided between the interengaging base plate 31 and countersink 29. This is also illustrated in the sectional views of FIGURES 2 and 3. Likewise, the top plan view of FIGURE 1 shows the rectangular base plate 31' fitting into the countersink '29. Both terminals 11 and 12 in their respective constructions engage the insulator 13 in this manner, Thus, there is an interengagement between the terminals 11 and 12 through the insulator 13 by means of the respective individual engagement of plate 31 and countersink 29. As pointed out above, the insulator 13 is also anchored to the capacitor-unit at the apertures 18*. The terminals 11 and 12 are mutually engaged in the insulator 13. The insulator 13 is anchored to the capacitorunit by the respective assemblies 21. The assembliesZl are spaced apart on the cover so that any play from the resiliency of the bushing 20 is minimized with respect to its effect upon the total displacement of the insulator 13 and consequently the terminals 11 and 12 which are attached to the insulator 13.

In the assembly operation the rivet 22 is inserted in the bushing 20 with the tab 23 and the spacer 26. The bushing 20 and the rivet 22 are then brought into contact with the terminal 11 or. 12 and the rivet 22 is forced into the bushing 20 causing it to buckle until the rivet 22 is spot welded against the terminal 11 or 12, as indicated at C. The bushing 20 is then held in its permanently deformed condition as shown in FIGURES 2 and 3. The rivets 22 and the terminals 11 and 12 are riveted together sothat the corners of the plates 31 seat against the insulator 13 and are held tightly in that position While the heads 25' press upon the bushings 20 through the tabs 23' and the spacer'26. As the bushings 20 yield, the flanges 19 press into the bushing thereby holding all of the parts in a tight resilient grip, The terminals 11 and 12 are retained against removal and rotation due to the press of each of the flanges 19 into the bushings 20 due to the compression of the bushings. The bushings 20 in turn cannot rotate or move with respect to each other because of the fixedness of their relative positions within the cover 10. The insulator 13 acts as a common lever arm preventing either of the assemblies 21 from rotating on its axis or revolving with respect to the other. The only movement permitted to the terminals 11 and 12 is that slight movement resulting from the resilience, of the bushings 20.

on an electrical component. A further advantage is the ease of access of protective coatings to the exposed surface of the can under the terminal insulator. Still another advantage .is seen in the greater separation of the insulator material from the surface of the can cover. No portion of the insulator is in actual contact with the can surface and the flanged sides of the insulator remove to an even greater extent the major portion of the ,insulator body. In the above described embodiment the capacitor-unit has a metal case and the insulator material 7 for contact with this metal case may be made up of a composition such s phenol formaldehyde filled with up to about 50% clay. It will be understood that modifications both of the insulator material and the composition of the container may be made without departing from the invention.

Particular advantages to the terminal of this invention, however, are found in the fact that the terminals are locked into the phenolic insulator. This, when coupled with the common lever arm inherent in the insulaton, insures against rotation of the terminals and twisting of the connecting tabs. Concomitantly the insulator does not move and because of its fixed position is not subject to damage through displacement,

In use the quick-connect connection 32 as shown in FIGUREv 4 can be snapped on and off the quick-connect post 33. This snap fit type of action involves the appli cation of leverage to the terminals and to their mountings. However, for the reasons set forth above the terminals withstand this abuse without displacement and all of the relative parts are maintained fixed in position.

The sides of the insulator 13 are tapered inwardly toward the bottom to provide a narrowed bottom 27. The coextensive area between the parallel bottom 27 and surface 28'is reduced to a minimum. The space E allows for access to the surface 28 beneath the insulator 13. This facilitates the coating of the upper surface 28 and flanges 19 of the. cover 10, such as paint by spray or plating.

The terminals for a quick-connect type of connection are adapted to withstand the strain and at the same time fit into the normal requirements for this type of terminal It is intended that this invention be covered only by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A terminal construction in combination with a casing wall for an electrical component having at least two electrical elements cooperating with the terminal construction comprising a single piece insulatormember attached to the casing wall, a pair of passages extending into said insulator member from the side adjacent the wall, a pair of adjacent recesses formed inwardly of the insulator side most removed from the attach-ed wall in alignment with each of the passages, terminal posts positioned in each of said recesses, an angular depression formed laterally in the wall of at least one of the passages atits respective recess, an angular portion of the terminal post in the respective recess in locking engagement with said depression, circular flanges formed outwardly in the easing wall toward the insulator member forming apertures having surfaces coincidental with the walls of each passage so that the apertures and the passages are aligned co-axially, electrical connections extending through the casing wall and each of said apertures and passages and joined to the terminal posts, resilient bushings placed around each electrical connection and extending with the electrical connections through the apertures and passages into contact with the terminal posts, the angular portion being attached to the respective electrical connection and the bushing extending along the respective electrical connection being under compression against the angular portion of the terminal post to hold said angular portion in looking engagement in the depression.

2. A terminal construction in combination with a casing wall for an electrical component as claimed in claim 1 having angular depressions formed laterally in the wall of each of the passages at its respective recess.

References Cited in'the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS OTHER REFERENCES G. E. Reviewfor June 1950, back of front cover page.

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